Montreal Foo Fighters fan and AZ vaccine recipient excluded from U.S. concert
To call Johanne Bowe Montreal's biggest fan of rock band Foo Fighters would be an understatement.
She travelled the world numerous times to see the Seattle rockers and has accumulated countless photos, selfies with band members, and backstage passes.
“This is backstage in Colorado, and me in Boston, Quebec City, Iceland, this is when I went to California,” she said, pointing to her collection.
But her dream of seeing them this Sunday in New York City faded away as she was about to buy her tickets last week. It’s the band’s first concert in front of a full audience since the pandemic, and the first major event without attendance limit at the Madison Square Garden.
“The pop-up came up and it said it's a fully vaccinated show, and you have to be fully vaccinated,” she said.
Bowe is fully vaccinated -- but here’s the catch: the venue stated that only people vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines would be allowed in.
Bowe, like millions of Canadians, received the AstraZeneca shots.
“I called guest relations and they said, ‘No, sorry, you will be denied entry,’” explained Bowe. She was told they were following New York state rules who, in turn, decided to only accept FDA-approved vaccines. AstraZeneca has not been approved for use in the U.S., even if it’s manufactured and exported by an American pharmaceutical company.
The same rule hit Bruce Springsteen fans wishing to attend the musician's solo performance on Broadway throughout the summer, as Springsteen fan and bioethicist Kerry Bowman found out.
Bowman also received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It's really quite a blow, especially when you look at the clinical evidence of the vaccine,” said the public health expert from the University of Toronto.
We didn't find other U.S. jurisdictions applying these rules, but Canadian authorities said there could be a solution.
“We will make sure that individuals in Ontario and Canada receive a Health Canada-approved document so AstraZeneca [recipients] will have the same rights as individuals who received other vaccines,” explained Ontario solicitor general Sylvia Jones.
But it won't happen overnight, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“For the fall, in the medium term, we are working with the provinces to establish national certification of vaccination status, that will be easily accessible around the world,” he said.
But Bowe thinks New York's rules are absurd.
“All of Europe is AstraZeneca, it's crazy,” she said.
She's come to terms with missing Sunday's show, but hopes these rules aren't the beginning of a trend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.